Church of Saint Dominic in Palermo

The church of San Domenico, on the square of the same name, is located in the district of La Loggia.
It was built in the 14th century and was an important medieval religious center, but was completely rebuilt in 1640, and then the facade in 1726.
During the Sicilian revolution of 1848, it served as a meeting place for the Sicilian Parliament presided over by Ruggero Settimo. In 1853, it became the pantheon of illustrious Sicilians, artists, writers and politicians.

On the square facing the church, a baroque column of the Immaculate Conception was erected in 1726, crowned by the statue of the Virgin in bronze. Its base bears the statues of two pontiffs, and the corner pedestals bear marble angels.

Facade of the Church of Saint Dominic

The feast of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated every year on December 8, is a major event in front of the church. A bouquet of flowers is traditionally placed at the feet of the statue of the Virgin by the city’s firefighters, highlighting the vitality of popular devotion to San Domenico.

Architecture and works of the church

The facade is of a typically scenic baroque style, divided into three parts by pairs of columns, adorned with niches with statues, and two bell towers separated by a curvilinear pediment.

It incorporates twelve Billiemi marble columns arranged in pairs, with Doric columns on the first level and Corinthian on the second. Niches house statues of Dominican popes and saints, works by Giovanni Maria Serpotta, nephew of the famous sculptor Giacomo Serpotta. The figure of the founder of the order, Saint Dominic of Guzmán, dominates the central pediment of the facade.

The interior is solemn with its three naves in a Latin cross, whose round arches rest on powerful columns of the Tuscan order in stone. Several side chapels were once under the patronage of local noble families.
Some chapels are entirely decorated with polychrome marbles. It preserves remarkable works of art, including the Madonna del Rosario by Vincenzo da Pavia, San Domenico by Zoppo de Gangi, and also the sculptures of Antonello Gagini.

Among the major works inside, let us mention:

• The painting by Giovan Paolo Fondulli, representing the Crucifixion with saints (1573) in the second chapel of the right nave.
• The Crocifissione con i Santi Tommaso d’Aquino e Maria Maddalena attributed to Fondulli, and other pictorial works by Pietro Novelli and Filippo Paladini in several chapels.
• Complex funerary sculptures and marble monuments dedicated to historical figures such as Ruggero Settimo, Francesco Crispi, and the antimafia Giovanni Falcone, who are buried there.
• In the chapel of Saint Joseph, a statue of Saint Joseph is attributed to Antonello Gagini, surrounded by stuccos and ornaments elaborated by Gaspare Serpotta.

The Dominican convent

To the left of the church is the former Dominican convent, founded around 1300. It preserves a Gothic cloister with twin columns, created by the Chiaramonte, with arches characteristic of the Sicilian Gothic style. In the rooms of the convent are paintings and frescoes representing Dominican saints, as well as the long historical library of the convent.

Photo gallery

Where is the Church of San Domenico in Palermo

Information

Sources and external sites

• Tourist portals: www.palermoviva.it, turismo.comune.palermo.it
• Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org

Churches of Palermo